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Grace was standing in the snow. The fluffy white powder reached halfway up his shins and he wrapped his arms around his torso, shivering slightly. He was only wearing his fox cardigan. How'd he get all the way out here without at least a winter coat? He couldn't see any buildings nearby.
There was a white fog in the air, blanketing the landscape and further hiding his surroundings from view. It was like he was trapped in a still, white void. Odd. His breath fogged in front of him as he took a step, the snow crunching under his feet. He should probably be able to remember how he'd gotten out here, but his memory was drawing as big of a blank as his current surroundings. The cold was really starting to get uncomfortable now, nipping at his fingers and toes and slowing his steps. He felt tired and ended up slowing to a stop. What was the point of walking if he had no idea where he was going?
He heard a sound, echoing in the distance and he looked up, his neck moving sluggishly, like his muscles were beginning to freeze too. Snowflakes were starting to fall. As they drifted to the ground they made sounds, almost like musical notes. Grace watched in fascination, his tired mind struggling to make sense of it. Snowflakes didn't make sound, they were too light, drifting gently to the ground. Not creating music.
The snowflakes grew bigger, the music growing louder with it. Strangely, the notes reminded Grace of his own name, but that didn't make sense, they didn't sound anything like his name. Just musical notes. The noise grew and grew until it was as loud as a blasting speaker and the snowflakes were bigger than his head. Grace wanted to take a step back, to find shelter because surely a snowflake of that size would hurt if it hit him, but his legs refused to move, locked up and sinking into the snow, which was rising at a much faster rate than it should be, already swallowing his thighs.
As the music reached near deafening levels Grace felt a searing pain in his wrists and his vision went completely white as the music screeched—
⟨⟨GRACE!!⟩⟩
Grace groaned softly. He felt incredibly disoriented, no longer standing but lying down somewhere. The brain fog was nearly suffocating, and the only reason he didn't immediately fall back asleep (had he been dreaming before?) was because of the white hot pain lancing through both of his wrists. That and the screeching that was somehow cutting through the cotton stuffed in his ears.
⟨⟨GRACE!? GRACE WAKE! GRACE WAKE NOW!!⟩⟩
Grace groaned again and tried to move his hands away from whatever white hot thing was wrapped around his wrists like iron, but he only managed a couple of feeble twitches. Why was it so hard to move?
⟨⟨Grace!⟩⟩ for a second Grace was confused. The musical notes had followed him from his dream, but his brain was assigning words to them. Why—?
Rocky.
“R’ck, wha?” He asked, but his tongue felt like lead in his mouth and it came out as more of a slurred mumble.
Whatever was holding his wrists tightened just a fraction and Grace took a sharp inhale at the pain. Immediately whatever it was let go and Grace sighed with relief. Great. Now he could sleep again.
⟨⟨Grace open eyes now!⟩⟩ Rocky's notes warbled in a way that screamed panic, and Grace frowned slightly. Why was Rocky bothering him so much? He just wanted to sleep.
“G’way, lemme sl’p,” he mumbled, and he tried to swipe his hand in the general direction of the notes but all he managed was a feeble flopping motion onto the soft surface of his bed. Huh, he couldn't feel his fingers. That was a little weird.
Something poked his face and Grace flinched, awareness shooting through him just enough for him to realize that something was wrong. Something was really really wrong.
⟨⟨Grace wake please⟩⟩ Rocky's notes warbled and broke and Grace's heart lurched. With immense difficulty he managed to peel his eyes open.
His vision was blurred and the light from the window smarted his eyes as he lolled his head to the side, just managing to make out a dark outline on the bed next to him. It shuddered enough to shake the bed as he watched, hunching closer.
⟨⟨Grace!⟩⟩ Rocky keened, his notes filled with relief before he stood up again, reaching out to pat Grace’s face. His touch burned in a way that wasn't right, but Grace was too tired to flinch away. Why was Rocky so hot?? ⟨⟨Grace must stay awake. No sleeping. Stay with Rocky⟩⟩
Grace frowned slightly, trying to make sense of everything that was happening, but his brain was moving at a frustratingly sluggish pace.
“Why?” He managed to croak, and then he hissed a little as Rocky pressed his hand to his face again.
⟨⟨Biodome temperature controls damaged⟩⟩ Rocky was speaking slowly and carefully, reverting back to something closer to the pidgin they'd come up with during their early days aboard the Hail Mary ⟨⟨Temperature drop low low low. Rocky was sleeping did not know. Scientists trying to fix, contact Rocky when I wake, say it too cold. Rocky rush here, fast fast fast, Grace not wake! Grace cold! Grace heart go slow slow slow. Grace must stay awake! Scientists working on fixing temperature, but do not know when fix! Grace must stay!⟩⟩
Rocky's pitch kept rising until Grace could barely hear him, but he managed to get the gist. And that woke him up more than anything else so far. Because oh, that's why everything was so slow and numb. That's why Rocky's touch burned. Grace was too cold. It was too cold. Rocky was right, he needed to stay awake.
“Ngh,” Grace tried to speak but his mouth was refusing to work properly, “N’d w’rmth,” he managed, hoping Rocky would understand him.
⟨⟨Yes yes yes⟩⟩ the blurry outline of Rocky bobbed up and down ⟨⟨Rocky warm. Rocky help⟩⟩ He moved closer as if to grab Grace and Grace jerked away.
“N-no, too h’t,” he grunted, swallowing in a feeble attempt to unstick his mouth, “Need slow w’rmth. Too much at once c’n—c’n kill m’.”
Rocky skittered backward with a chirp of alarm.
⟨⟨Rocky kill Grace?!⟩⟩
Grace shook his head weakly.
“No no, jus’ need slower w’rmth. N’t touch bare skin,” man this sucked. Was this how Rocky felt when he and Grace had first started learning each other's languages? Not enough words to communicate what exactly you wanted to say.
Rocky was silent for a bit, likely thinking hard, and Grace struggled to keep his eyes open. The numbness was trying its absolute best to drag him back into oblivion.
⟨⟨Rocky try something⟩⟩ Grace twitched as Rocky's voice managed to jerk him back awake somewhat ⟨⟨Grace say if dangerous, ok, question?⟩⟩
Grace nodded weakly. He trusted Rocky.
Rocky moved closer, and Grace felt him tugging at the blankets he was wrapped in. Then Rocky reached out, maneuvering Grace's body to begin wrapping the sheets and the quits around him like a burrito. Grace had the mental image of a spider wrapping its prey in silk and he would've laughed if not for the fact that he was using every ounce of his strength to stay conscious. Once Grace was completely wrapped in every single blanket on his bed, Rocky tugged him closer, resting Grace’s head on one of the pillows that he'd balanced on top of his carapace and tucking him up against him in something like a bridal carry. Grace felt a very faint warmth through the many blankets, not hot enough to burn, and he sighed in relief.
⟨⟨This good, question?⟩⟩ Rocky asked hesitantly, and Grace nodded clumsily into the pillow.
“Mhm,” he hummed. This was probably fine for now. It didn't feel like enough heat to shock his system.
He drifted in and out of consciousness for an unknown amount of time, slowly feeling the blankets he was wrapped in getting warmer and warmer with the continued contact with Rocky's xenonite suit. Whenever he started to fall unconscious Rocky would jostle him a bit with the two arms wrapped around his shoulders and under his knees, and it would jolt him awake again.
At some point the numbness broke, and Grace was suddenly cold. He felt like ice was crawling over his skin and pumping through his veins, and he gasped as his muscles began to spasm with shivers.
Rocky chirped in alarm.
⟨⟨What happening?⟩⟩ Rocky's arms twitched like he couldn't decide if he wanted to pull Grace closer or push him away ⟨⟨Why Grace shaking, question?⟩⟩
“C-c-called sh-sh-shivering-g-g,” Grace managed between chattering teeth, “M-m-muscles-s m-m-mov-ve to g-generat-te h-heat-t-t.”
⟨⟨Why Grace not do that before, question?⟩⟩ Rocky sounded absolutely flabbergasted and Grace let out a choked wheeze of surprised laughter.
“T-too c-cold bef-fore,” he mumbled, doing his best to curl closer to Rocky, whose warmth his body suddenly craved like a drowning man craved air, “W-warm enough n-now.”
Rocky let out a pleased hum, pulling Grace closer and shifting to rest another arm over Grace.
⟨⟨Rocky warm Grace⟩⟩ he said, notes holding an undertone of promise and resolve. Grace nodded as best he could with his body wracked with violent shivers. He didn't speak again for fear that his chattering teeth would bite his tongue.
As his muscles spasmed and slowly began to thaw the ice crystalized in his every cell, Grace tried hard not to make any sounds of pain, but it was difficult. Because it hurt. As warmth slowly seeped into him, his extremities began to prickle with sharp pins and needles, and as his nerves thawed they began broadcasting the pain and danger that he'd been too numb to feel before. He wanted to ask Rocky to rip away the blankets so he could curl up as close as possible to his addicting warmth, but he clenched his jaw through the shivers and stayed silent. He knew enough about the human body to know that kind of heat shock would not be good for him. He just needed to wait this out, even if it was agony.
Slowly, painfully slowly, his shivers began to lessen, and his skin stopped feeling like he was pressed against dry ice and instead like he was standing outside in a chill wind.
“Y-you—you can take the blankets off now,” Grace croaked, and Rocky twitched in surprise.
⟨⟨But Grace not stop shaking yet⟩⟩ Rocky argued. Grace swallowed to clear his throat a bit, glad his teeth had at least stopped chattering so he could talk easier.
“I mean I don't need as many layers b-between us now,” he explained, proud that his voice was less slurred now. Unfortunately he was only able to speak just an octave higher than a whisper. “I can handle your full warmth now without . . . without shocking my system too badly.”
⟨⟨Oh!⟩⟩ Rocky sounded both relieved and excited as he moved, pushing Grace away to begin pulling off the blankets. Once Grace had enough room to move his arms properly he helped, pulling the blankets away from his torso. He shivered as the cold air of the room hit him. Wow, he was going to have to ask Rocky what the temperature had fallen to later because that was freezing. It must've fallen gradually to have not woken him up before.
The moment Grace was free from his blanket cocoon Rocky reached out, grabbing him and yanking him into a hug immediately. Grace's chest hit Rocky's carapace hard enough to make him wince before the warmth hit him full force. It was heavenly, radiating through him like sunrays and firesides and warm drinks on a cold winter day. He immediately curled forward, wrapping his arms around Rocky and pressing his face into the xenonite with a very embarrassing groan of relief.
Rocky wrapped two arms around him in return and Grace felt him using a third arm to wrap the blankets around both of them, further blocking out the cold air and insulting Rocky's blissful warmth in a soft cocoon around them.
Grace let himself drift, basking in the heat as it wormed its way between his cells, banishing the last of the chill as his shivers melted away. He drifted in and out of consciousness, and this time it seemed Rocky deemed it safe for him to sleep, because he didn't jostle him back to awareness. At one point as Grace flickered back awake he realized he was now lying down, curled around Rocky's carapace while Rocky held him close with four of his legs, the blanket over both of them. He smiled slightly before slipping back under again.
⟨⟨Grace. Grace can wake now. Temperature fixed and returned to normal⟩⟩
Grace's face scrunched up a bit as the musical notes gently pulled him from sleep. How rude, he was so comfy here. Warm and safe and held.
He curled even closer to the surface he was wrapped around, tightening his hold and tucking his chin to his chest.
“Mmno,” he groaned, and the thing he was cuddling vibrated with high pitched chirps of laughter.
⟨⟨Sleepy Grace silly⟩⟩ the notes twittered with amusement ⟨⟨Not need Rocky’s warmth anymore, temperature fixed⟩⟩
“No, I definitely need it,” he mumbled, refusing to let go.
⟨⟨Grace⟩⟩ Rocky wiggled slightly from side to side, tapping at his back with one of his arms like he was trying to escape. Grace knew it was all for show though. If Rocky wanted he could easily escape Grace’s grip. Heck, he could probably chuck Grace across the entire biodome. Grace smirked slightly into the xenonite.
“Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?” he held out the word in the most pathetic whine he could manage and Rocky huffed out a whistling sigh that ended in a grumble from his vents before plopping down again, holding Grace a little tighter.
⟨⟨Fine⟩⟩ he grumbled, but there was an undertone of amusement and fondness in his notes ⟨⟨But Grace has to explain later why Rocky miss important science meeting⟩⟩
“I know you didn't want to go to that anyway,” Grace teased softly as he relaxed into the soft bedding again, “This is a perfect excuse.”
Rocky let out a soft chirp that was his version of a snort, and Grace grinned again, still refusing to open his eyes.
⟨⟨You sleep, I watch⟩⟩ he said, beginning to rub lazy circles into Grace's back with a claw ⟨⟨I keep warm⟩⟩ he added.
Grace nodded with a soft smile.
“Yeah, you keep me warm,” he mumbled. He paused as he let himself fully process the situation that had just occurred. He'd almost frozen to death. If Rocky hadn't gotten there when he had . . . no, Grace wasn't going to entertain those kind of thoughts right now. Right now he was warm and safe and being held by his best friend. “Thank you,” he said softly, sincerely.
⟨⟨Always⟩⟩ Rocky sang softly, before beginning to hum a soft gentle tune. Grace relaxed again, the cold a distant memory in his friend’s warm arms.